Lorne Greene

Hi Guys,

I figured I would ask the brain trust on this one as there is a wealth of knowledge and experience here.

I bought a 2013 S550 in 2019. When I bought the car it had 48,000 miles on it. Currently, it has 77,000 miles on it. The car has been absolutely trouble-free. Shortly after buying it my wife's car died and she took over the S550 as her daily driver (I work from home so I just used my beater truck to get around) and we used it for road trips. It has been from NC to FL about half a dozen times and out to Michigan and back twice, every time we took the car on a road trip it was flawless.

As it stands now the car has zero issues, no computer/electrical gremlins, no strange noises, nothing. The car will need a new battery as I can tell it's weak to crank, new front tires (rears were replaced a few months back), and new front brakes but I view those items as consumables. The oil has been changed every 5K with Amazon Synthetic and a MAN filter.

My wife bought a new car last weekend and handed me back the keys to the S550. I recently started a new job which will require me to drive around 500 miles once a month up to Virginia and back to take clients out and meet with the staff. I could not think of a better car than the one I have but I am wondering about the longevity of the car and if I should get out of it now or keep the car.

As I start to rack up miles on the car and it gets closer to 100K and over are there any huge catastrophic things that are known to happen to these cars as they age and the miles go up? I would like to keep the car until at least 150,000 miles before I even think about replacing it but if the car is known to start going downhill I may dump it for something else.

What does the brain trust say?

EDIT: I should also add in that I am a very hands-on person and am not afraid to research and rip something apart. I replaced the valve stem seals on my BMW N62 engine on my own.

BOTUS

it depends upon expectations and luck - these are not Lexus's - they are expensive to run

modern cars are engineered to die to a timeline - this model was one of the first where it was expected to be swapped out by owners that matter in <5 years - after that its a lottery and or a rich person pride and joy and they just throw money at them
this designed to die timeline has been in overdrive since 2009 and utterly crazy since 2018 - many modern german cars might do 300k with out fault - but only in the first 4 years, after that they start to become a timebomb

if it has ABC suspension get a fluid and filter change ASAP (and keep doing every 2 years)
the auto box needs a fluid and filter change every 37k miles or 4 years
get a crank position sensor fitted (cheap and not worth the fight, they just die 8 to 10 year mark)
ABS sensor change would be sensible (quite pricey but will save a headache at 8 to 10 year mark)
if its Airmatic get all three level sensor link rods changed ASAP (cheap avoid the breakdown of collapsed suspension)
coil packs will go ($50 each easy to fit - just give up around 8 to 10 year mark)
AC condenser will go (might get away if used away from salt in winter and you wash the rot of the bottom edge)

Lorne Greene

This is what I have. Can you tell which suspension system it is?

joeshannon095

You have Airmatic. In terms of maintenance that is a plus in my book.

camplate

Funny, I was thinking about the same thing. I like my 2010. Owned 18 months; has issues but it is okay. But the SO won't drive it or my 4runner. The S550 because of an irrational fear of the transmission and the 4runner because of soft brakes (in their opinion). A 2017 Lincoln MKZ is for sale nearby. Smaller engine but more HP (not that I need mawr HP), better gas mileage, newer safety stuff, and just plain newer. But, even if I went back to office full time I still only put 6-8k total on vehicles.
What to do, what to do.

Lorne Greene

Yeah its a tough one. You hear all of these stories about how bad these cars (any high-end German car) is but that is not my experience. My 2011 BMW 750I had 140K on it when I sold it and while it did not hold up well when it came to the interior components and besides for an air strut going it was a decent car. My 2008 BMW 550, had issues, it had the N62 engine in it which had bad valve stem seals and when cold the VANOS system would act up and the car would idle like crap and have no power, turning it off and back on would fix the problem and it never left me stranded besides for one time when the alternator died on me.

My current S550 is a gem. It was owned by an old guy who bought it in Richmond, VA new and kept it there inside until he passed away and the family sold it back to the dealer who sent it to auction. From what I can tell he always took it to the dealer. The body, paint, and interior all look new and the car still smells new. I love the way the car drives, my only complaint is the infotainment sucks which I will replace. I am leaning towards keeping the car. I'm not a take it to the dealer type of guy which I believe is the crux of a lot of the complaints. German dealers do not want to leave anything unaddressed, they want the car 100% on the up and up 100% of the time. I will however admit that the way these cars are built makes it a PITA to work on but at least I can say its not as bad as an Audi.

I have a buddy who takes his E500 to the dealer for everything and when I look at what they do to the car I am blown away. I don't understand plugs at 30K, brake fluid and coolant at 20K, so on and so on. Every other car out there has those items at around 100K.

BOTUS

you have airmatic - get the link rods changes ASAP - they seize and snap off two fronts one rear

you don't need to touch infotainment you have just add a box and its not much different to latest cars (wireless apple car play)

https://www.joyeauto.com/product/mer...uto-interface/

Chachd72

I have a 2011 S550, which is non-turbo, that I bought CPO in 2013 with 15,000 miles. 9 years later I now have 126,000 miles and have had engine & tranny mounts replaced - they last about 85 to 100,000 miles, one ABS wheel sensor, and one brake wear sensor. I follow the Mercedes service recommendations and use Mobil One as recommended with changes at 10,000 miles. Oil level is generally down 1 quart at 10,000 miles. I often tell people it's the best car I've ever owned. I would say that your car has another 100,000 or more miles in it before you see more problems. Keep in mind that theses forums are for people that have problems with their cars and often need a cheap solutions. You don't hear from the people who own these cars with no problems and there are many. As someone else mentioned your clients in your new job will be very impressed with your ride and unless they are car nuts they won't know the difference between a 2011 and a 2021! If you keep it up properly they'll most likely ask you if it's new. I highly recommend keeping it!!